Kyler Murray kept the Minnesota Vikings’ passing game moving after T.J. Hockenson’s concussion on the second offensive play against New Orleans. Kevin O’Connell’s willingness to keep his replacement tight ends involved made the 23-13 win an encouraging test of the passing plan’s flexibility.
Hockenson had caught 13 passes for 119 yards against Miami a week earlier. Against the Saints, Gavin Bartholomew caught five for 33, and Ben Yurosek added one for 10. Minnesota got useful production from the position even after its top receiving tight end left.
Murray finished 24-of-30 for 229 yards, with completions to 10 players. O’Connell deserves credit for giving the backups useful receiving work, and Murray deserves credit for continuing to find them.
Minnesota Vikings kept their replacement T.J. Hockenson, tight ends in the passing plan
O’Connell’s handling of Hockenson’s exit drew praise during the Oct. 17 episode of the "Purple Daily" podcast.
"I liked it in part, too, because the second play from scrimmage by the Vikings goes to Hockenson," said SKOR North's Judd Zulgad. "He gets concussed on that play, and that could have really thrown a wrench, and O'Connell could have freaked out, and he didn't. He used Gavin Bartholomew. He used [Ben] Yurosek, and he kept the same principles in place."
O’Connell highlighted Bartholomew’s screen and Yurosek’s quick-game first down in his Monday comments. Both players had opportunities within the passing game after Minnesota lost the tight end it had planned to feature.
A designed screen makes the short throw part of the call. Quick-game concepts offer immediate reads; a checkdown reaches an outlet after other options. Calling every short completion a checkdown skips the distinction between the quarterback executing a quick throw and arriving at an outlet later in the play.
Bartholomew’s 13-yard screen turned second-and-20 into third-and-seven. Yurosek’s 10-yard reception converted second-and-nine. Those gains helped Minnesota recover from a difficult down- and-distance or avoid third down altogether.
Bartholomew also opened the fourth quarter with a two-yard catch on 3rd-and-1, and Aaron Jones scored on the next snap. Later, a four-yard Bartholomew reception on 3rd-and-6 preceded a punt. The shorter completion extended a possession; the longer one didn’t. Completion percentage treats both alike. The offense can’t.
Kyler Murray’s improvement needs more than a shotgun explanation
Murray’s alignment was another part of the "Purple Daily" discussion, and Scoggins pushed back on the idea that the improvement was entirely through shotgun usage.
"It's not all shotgun," said Minnesota Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins. "I was starting to chart him, and it was, under center shotgun, under center shotgun. And so it wasn't 100%. I don't know what the final numbers for that game wound up being.
"But as much as he's more comfortable in shotgun, I think it's more of the completions, and he's always been a high-completion guy, right? It's completions and getting him in a rhythm, and whether it's intermediate, whatever."
A mixture of shotgun and under-center snaps doesn’t establish what changed from earlier games. Stronger evidence is that O’Connell retained useful throws for his available targets. Claiming a formation switch solved Murray requires more than this account provides.
Justin Jefferson’s return also belongs in any assessment of Murray’s progress against New Orleans. Jefferson was unavailable against Miami, then caught six passes for 79 yards against the Saints. The personnel around Murray changed, and so did the results. That makes a single-cause explanation too tidy.
Murray’s first 12 passes against New Orleans were complete, yet Minnesota had just three points when that run ended in the second quarter. The Vikings also fumbled twice in the red zone.
Miami entered its matchup against Minnesota winless; New Orleans fell to 1-4 afterward. The Vikings still need to sustain this approach against stronger opposition and finish drives.
After the bye, O’Connell needs routes against Indianapolis that punish defenders who jump underneath throws. Murray can keep taking efficient completions without treating the first short option as compulsory. Bartholomew and Yurosek can help create manageable downs, but longer third downs still require routes and decisions that threaten the sticks.
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